Air cleaner



Aug. 6, 1929. H. G. KAMRATH AIR CLEANER File M y 1 1927 2 $heets$heet 6,1929- H. G. KAMRATH 1,723,428

A IR CLEANER Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT G. KAMRATH, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO A C SPARK PLUG GOM-IPANY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN.

AIR CLEANER.

Application filed May 18,

This invention relates to air cleaners of the type commonly employed onautomobile engines and in which separation of dust particles is effectedby taking advantage of their greater inertia as compared with that ofthe airl In this type of cleaner, means is usually employed forefiecting a sharp change 1n direction of the stream in its passagethrough the. cleaner so that the dust par ticles are projected out ofthe cleaning chamber while the air continues its course to the apparatusto which it is supplied. While the change in direction may be effectedin various Ways, in the form'herein disclosed, it is accomplished byimparting to the air a whirling motion which has the effect of throwingthe dust particles outwardly so that they hug the wall of the cleaner,the wall being pro- Videdwith a suitable orifice through which the dustis discharged.

In cleaners of this type it has previously been common practice toprovide a dust receptacle for receiving the particles discharged throughthe orifice, the receptacle constituting a dead air space in which thedust particles freely fall. In some constructions, however, the dust boxis omitted, the dust passing directly into the atmosphere.

My invention has to do with a cleaner of the latter type andparticularly to a shield for the dust orifice to prevent the entrance ofstray air currents. In order that one design of cleaner may serve forboth vertlcal and horizontal installations, I have arranged the shieldat an angle. While the shield may be constituted by a separately formedbattle member, for manufacturing convenience it is preferable to formthe orifice and bafile at one operation by suitably severing the metaloil the casing and pressing portions thereof outwardly.

My invention is likewise concerned'withcertain details of constructionwhereby both the manufacture of the elements and the assembly of partsis facilitated. Thus, as in my prior application, Serial N 0. 75,071filed December 12th, 1925, the cleaner is designed for construction fromsheet metal. To simplify the design and reduce costs, without impairingthe operation of the cleaner I have found it desirable to mount the airstraightener wholly within the clean air discharge conduit. I have alsopreferred to form the clean air discharge conduit of sheet metal rolledinto shape and held in place by 1927. Serial No. 192,288.

an encircling annular member which custo-marily is provided withintegral blades arranged to give the air a whirling motion. The ends ofthis strip of metal are preferably interlocked. I have also made use ofa simple and inexpensive expedient to securely anchor the conduit withinthe annular member. Various other details of construction will be setout in the specification and covered by the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile engine ofconventional type, having my improved air cleaner fitted thereto invertical position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, showing the cleaner inhorizontal position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cleaner;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the manner of assembly of the airstraightener and air outlet tube;

Fig. 5 is an end view of my cleaner with parts broken away to show theconstruction of the dust outlet;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-76 of Fig. 5, but with the airstraightener omitted;

Fig. 7 and 8 are detail views showing the manner of locking thedischarge conduit in position;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified. form of cleaner;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary View on line 10-10 of Fig. 9, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Figs. 11 and 12 are fragmentary views showing modified forms of dustoutlet.

In Fig. 1, my improved air cleaner is indicated by the reference numeral2 and is mounted in vertical position on air' intake pipe 4 ofcarbureter 6, which in turn supplies combustible to an internalcombustion engine of conventional type.

The construction of the cleaner is shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 8. Itconsists of a casing 12 having at one end a closure 14 secured to thebody of the cleaner by any suitable means such as a. rolled seam, or ifpre ferred, by welding, soldering or the like. A

threaded stud 16 is centrally mounted in the end closure and is adaptedto be secured t o any suitable supporting member in mounting the cleaneron an engine. In the other end of the casing 12, is secured an annularmember 18, provided with a hub 20, and a 4 in Fig. 5.

2 maaaee peripheral flange including a portion 22 adapted to telescopewithin the open end of the casing, and a portion 24 adapted to abutagainst an outwardly turned flange 26 formed on the casing 12. Inassembling the cleaner, the extremity of the flange 24 is adapted to berolled over the fiange 26, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. Member 18 isprovided with integrally formed vanes 30. These vanes are produced bysubjecting the member 18 to a series of radial cuts such as indicated at32 and a series of circumferential cuts such as indicated at 34: andpressing the severed metal outwardly, preferably in the manner describedand claimed in my prior application, Serial No. 157,761, filed December29, 1926.

Within the hub 20 of the annulus 18 is secured conduit 36. This conduitmay, if desired be simply a suitable length of seamless tubing, but Ihave found it possible to get a more accurate fit by forming the conduitof a strip of metal having its ends interlocked as shown at 38 in Fig.4. The conduit 36 is secured within the hub 20 by means of theinterlocking arrangement indicated in Figs. 7 and 8. Overlying portionsof the conduit 36 and the hub 26 are subjected to a cutting anddeforming operation, producing straps such as indicated at 40 and a2,the strap 40 being distorted out of alinement with the member 36, into asocket produced in the member 20 by similar distortion of the strap 42.By this simple operation the conduit is securely held within the annularmember without possibility of separation. However, if preferred,welding, riveting or the like may be employed to join these partstogether.

Within the conduit 36 l have provided an air straightener 44: havingoutwardly extending lugs 46, adapted to engage in slots 18 formed in theconduit. The lugs are preferably of such size as to fit tightly withinthe slots, and are driven or staked therein.

in the preferred form of my invention the dust discharge orifice is inthe form of a slot produced by lancing the metal of the casing 12 andpressing outwardly the metal at one edge of the slotas indicated at 51The orifice is preferably located at the extreme end of the casing sothat the end of the slot comes flush with the inside surface of the endclosure 14:. As best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the slot is arranged atan angle. In both the vertical position shown in Fig. 1 and thehorizontal position shown in Fig. 2 the side of the slot which ispressed outwardly serves to shield the dust orifice from stray aircurrents," such currents usually reaching the cleaner thru the radiator.@bviously, the shielding effect will be obtained in whichever of anumber of positions the cleaner be turned, so long as the slot does notdirectly face the currents of air. For example, in Fig. 1 the cleanermay be turned so that the slot 50 is toward the rear of the engine andin Fig. 2 so that the slot is at the bottom of the cleaner. In bothcases, the desired protection will be obtained. In the operation of mcleaner, the entering air upon striking t e' blades 30 is given awhirling motion which continues until the air stream approaches theclosed end 14 0f the casing where sufiicient back pressure is soon builtup to cause the stream to turn back upon itself and pass outwardlythrough the clean air discharge conduit 86. The air straightener i4serves its usual function of assisting in the outward passage of theair. Theefiect of the whirling action of the air stream as it enters thecasing 12 is to cause dust particles to hug the Walls of the casing andupon the reversal in movement of the air stream the dust particlescontinue along the walls of the casing, owing to their greater inertia,and are discharged through dust orifice 50. As the orifice is shielded,stray air currents cannot interfere with this flow.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a cleaner substantially the same as that shown inFig. 3, but in which a baffle in the form of a separate stamping issecured over the dust outlet 62.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail showing an arrangement of bafiie wherethe cleaner is mounted in horizontal position. This bafile is indicatedby the reference character 64 and is in the form of a stamping securedover the dust discharge orifice.

Fig. 12 shows a further modification of dust orifice. In this case, themetal of the casing 12 is cut along three sides and the resulting tongueindicated at is pressed outwardly. In this form of baffle, as well asthat shown in Fig. 11, it will be noted that the extreme outer edge ofthe bafiie is turned outwardly as indicated at 72. iihis has the effectof causing dust particles which may be' driven against the bafie to beprojected outwardly into the air currents so that there is nopossibility of such dust entering the dust discharge orifice.

What 1 claim is:

1. An air cleaner comprising a casing having an open end, an annularmember provided with air directing blades secured in said end, an airoutlet conduit fixedly secured in said annular member and an airstraightener secured in said conduit and wholly supported thereby.

2. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing provided at one endwith an airinlet arranged to impart a whirling motion to the enteringair stream, the other end of the casing being closed and the side wallof the casing adjacent said closed end being pro vided with a dustdischarge. orifice open to the atmosphere, said orifice being in thetit) form of a slot extending longitudinally of the casing andterminating at the closed end thereof, one of the edges of said slotbeing offset radially with respect to the other to form a shield toshield the orifice from passing air currents, the portion of the shieldfurthest removed from the air inlet being oflset outwardly a greaterdistance than the remaining portion to facilitate the discharge of dust.

3. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having one end openand the other end closed, said open end being provided with an axialclean air outlet tube and an annular series of helical blades extendingfrom the outlet tube tothe casing wall to impart to the entering air awhirling motion, the opposite end of the casing beinghprovided with anaperture arranged to disc arge dust into the atmosphere, said aperturebeing in the form of a short longitudinally extending slot in the sideWall of the casing, one of the edges of the slot being ofi'set radiallywith respect to the other.

4. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing provided with an airinlet arranged to impart a whirling motion to the enterlng air stream,said casing being'provided with a peripheral dust discharge orificeopen'to the atmosphere, said ori ce being in t e form of a shortlongitudinally extending slot in the side wall of the casing, one of theedges of the slot being offset radially with respect to the other, saidcasing being provided with an axial clean air outlet, and an airstraightener associated with said outlet for removing the whirl from theoutgoing air.

5. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having one end openand theother end closed, said open end being provided with an axialclean air outlet tube and an annular series of helical blades extendingfrom the outlet tube to the casing wall to impart to the entering air awhirlin motion, the opposite end of the casing being provided with anaperture arranged to discharge dust into the atmosphere, said aperturebeing in the form of a short longitudinally extending slot in the sidewall of the casing, one of the edges of the slot being ofi'set radiallywith respect to the other to form a shield to shield the orifice frompass ing air currents, and an air straightener associated with the cleanair outlet for removing the whirl from the outgoing air.

6. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having an axial cleanair outlet and bein provided with means for imparting a whirling motionto the entering air, said casing being provided with a short dustdischarge orifice in its side wall open to the atmosphere,'and a shieldfor said orifice extending radially outward beyond the cyiindricaisurface at the cleaner casing, said forme either vertical or horizontalinstallations.

7. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having an axial cleanair outlet and being provided at one end with an annular series ofhelical blades for imparting a whirling motion to the entering air, saidblades being inclined longitudinally of the casing and having theirinner ends spaced from the axis of the cleaner by an amountsubstantially equal to the radius of said clean air outlet, said casingbeing provided at the other end with a dust discharge orifice in itsside wall and a shield for said orifice positioned radiallyoutward ofthe orifice and extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of thecasing to adapt the cleaner for either vertical or horizontalinstallation.

.8. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having an axial cleanair outlet and being provided at one end with an annular series ofhelical blades fon imparting a whirling motion to the entering air, saidblades being inclined longitudinally of the casing and having theirinner ends spaced from the axis of the cleanerby an amount substantiallyequal to the radius of said clean air outlet, said casing being provided at the other end with a pe ripheral dust discharge orifice open tothe atmosphere and. being otherwise imper forate, said orifice being inthe form of a short longitudinally extending slot in the outermostportion of the casin wall, one

of the edges of the slot being 0 set radially with respect to the other,and an air straightener associated with said clean air outlet forremoving the whirl from the outgoing air.

9. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing havin an axial cleanair outlet and being provided at one end with a sheet metal'plateextending across the casing and being formed to rovide an annular seriesof substantially helical blades for imparting a whirling motion to theentering air, said blades being inclined longitudinally of the casingand having their inner ends spaced from the axis of the casin by anamount substantially equal to the ins of said clean air outlet, saidcasing being provided at the other end with a peripheral dust dischargeorifice open to the atmosphere, said orifice being in the form of. aslngle short longitudinally extending incision in the side wall of thecasing,the metal on one side of the incision being offset radially withrespect to the metal on the other sideof the incision.

10. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having an axial cleanair outlet and being provided at one end with a sheet metal lateextending across the casin and to rovide an annular series 0substantially elical blades for imparting a whirling motion to theentering air, said wall and the end Wall, said dust outlet being bladesbeing inclined longitudinally of the casing and having their inner endsspaced from the axis of the cleaner by an amount substantially equal tothe radius of said clean air outlet, said casing being provided at theother end with an end Wall, and with a peripheral dust outlet open tothe atmosphere extending to the juncture of the side in the form of ashort slot in the casing wall having one of its edges 'ofiset withrespect to the other, an air straightener associated with said axialclean air outlet for removing the whirl from the outgoin air.

in testimony whereef I afix my signature.

HERBERT G. KAMRATH.

